If you are looking to try something different with your smoker BBQ grill but are not sure what to do, I have a great recipe for smoking turkey that you might be interested in. This recipe is fairly simple; however you will need a pretty good size smoker BBQ grill. I do not recommend using one of the flat barbeque grill smoker combo units, nor would I use a Weber cauldron to do this one. While both of those can make great smoker BBQ grills, for this recipe I would go with a vertical smoker BBQ grill.
Steps To Making A Perfect Turkey Using Your Smoker BBQ Grill
The first and most important thing you need to do is select a proper turkey. I would go no less then 14 pounds and definitely get one fresh if you can. If you do decide to use a frozen turkey, make sure it is completely thawed before you smoke it. If you can also, I would highly recommend getting a free range chicken.
The first thing you will need to take care of when cooking the turkey is to make absolutely 100 percent sure that all of the meat has been cooked to 165 degree F. This is not a get as close as you can, it is a requirement. In order to do this you will need to run the smoker BBQ grill at around 220 to 240 degrees F at all times. At this temperature it will take from 30 to 40 minutes per pound.
Next thing you will need is a good smoker BBQ grill. Like I said, I recommend a vertical smoker BBQ grill as the turkey will fit better in them then a kettle grill. In addition to the grill you want to make sure that you have a high quality and easy to use meat thermometer. For the wood any fruit wood will work well, cherry and apple being two of my favorites. If you are looking for a more traditional tasting turkey, then go with hickory or oak. The key is to not over smoke the turkey so that it dries out.
The other thing you need to be aware of is that smoked turkey will have a different color and texture from an oven roasted turkey. The meat will appear more pink and have a smoother texture. This is normal. The actual smoking process causes a chemical change in turkey that makes it a different color. As long as the meat reaches 165 degrees F it should be safe to eat.
Easy cooking on the BBQ doesn’t get much better. Now get out your smoker BBQ grill and go smoke yourself some turkey!
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